Dan Greenleaf became Santa Claus in the way that many men of a certain age, and with certain physical attributes, find themselves donning the white-trimmed red suit.
“You’ve got a beard, you’re fat, you’re old,” Greenleaf recalled his first introduction to the idea. “How’d you like to be a Santa for our event?”
That interaction, a common one for Santas, came for Greenleaf, then a ski instructor at Gunstock Mountain, many years ago when his bosses asked him to ski down the mountain in costume. He loved it, but he didn’t commit fully until several years later.
Greenleaf is now a professional Santa living in Manchester, but he’s even more than that. As a member of the New England Santa Society, he helps lead the region’s premier school for Saint Nicks, Mrs. Clauses, elves and other Christmas characters right here in New Hampshire.
The annual three-day workshop, which draws about 100 people from New England and nationwide, recently convened at the Barbara C. Harris Camp & Conference Center in Greenfield.
During the welcome lunch, a sea of Santas filled every seat at the long tables in the cafeteria. Nearly everyone was decked out in what they refer to as “Santa casual,” a style encompassed by anything remotely Christmasy: red shirts, candy-cane stockings, Santa hats, even Hawaiian shirts covered in sleigh patterns.
All these Santas in the same place at the same time is quite the sight. One staffer said she felt like an 8-year-old on Christmas Eve when she first saw them congregated. One of the Santas waiting in line underscored the point when he jokingly asked, “Have you seen my friend with the white beard anywhere?”
That was James Corless, 67, who traveled to Santa Camp from his home in Trumbull, Conn. He became a Santa 10 years ago, in the usual way. His managers at his full-time job at Home Depot asked him to play Father Christmas to lead off a holiday sales event.
“I kind of laughed. I said, ‘Why are you guys asking me? … Is it because I got a beard and I’m fat? What’s going on here?'” Corless recalled, laughing. “The manager who was there said, ‘No, you’re jovial.’ … How could I say no to that? They just got me an ill-fitting suit, and I sat in a chair and met the kids, and I really enjoyed it.”
Corless said he relishes the opportunity to teach children about traditions and the meaning of the holiday — a celebration of family and love, not of material gifts.
He hopes to boost his Santa career as his second act, as he plans to retire from Home Depot after 20 years with the company. Santa Camp was his vehicle to learn the business side of being a Claus.
What Would Santa Do?
After lunch, the group dispersed for classes, which included an introductory course for first-timers and advanced learning for returning campers.
At Santa Camp, the jolly old elf’s persona and performance are taken seriously. Lessons discuss the history and cultural variations of Santa and Mrs. Claus, the art of North Pole storytelling, and how to handle negative non-believers.
Rule number one? Let children believe in you.
According to the introductory course, “Preparing for the Sleigh,” that means fully immersing oneself in the character. Don’t play Santa, the instructor said, be Santa; always be on your best behavior when you go out, especially when wearing red; and ask yourself, What Would Santa Do?
The camp is led by longtime Santas like Greenleaf and Nick Gillotte, 61, who jokes he was blessed with the name “Saint Nick” and sports a deep, jovial laugh that sounds remarkably similar to a “Ho, ho, ho.” He’s been a Santa for 43 years.
Campers cracked open thick binders of course materials, and after a round of introductions, they reviewed the dos and don’ts of Santa basics: Do improvise and put your own twist on it; don’t contradict parents if possible.
Their itinerary included everything from the Clauses’ backstories and performances to managing bookings and social media, as well as looking the part with a session on beards, hair and grooming.
Concord Clauses
Two novice Clauses from Concord, Sue and Paul Guertin, attended in hopes of learning how to turn their hobby into a business. They’ve taken their act to local nursing homes for the past two years, which has brought joy to both the residents and themselves.
“When you grow up, you don’t have that same Christmas spirit,” said Sue, sitting at a picnic table outside the camp’s mess hall. “But when you’re Mr. and Mrs. Claus, it brings back the joy in you as well.”
Sue, a registered nurse who consults for new home care and hospice services, and Paul, a retired restaurant owner, said they plan to carve out their niche by continuing to serve older adults. There are business aspects to it, though, like ethics and insurance, that they’d never thought of before.
The people at the nursing homes are thankful, the Guertins said, and seeing a familiar figure can bring back childhood memories.
“Our goal is to just make people happy and to bring some joy to their lives,” Sue said. “A lot of people, especially when you do nursing homes, they don’t have any family.”
“I’m just in it for the cookies and milk,” Paul joked, but he said he likes seeing faces light up at the sight of Santa.
While many Mrs. Clauses view their role to be primarily as Santa’s wife and helper, Sue said she wants to represent the character in full.
“Mrs. Claus has her own gig,” Sue said. “She does teas, she does cookie-making, she does storybook-telling. So, she does her own thing, and Santa does his own thing.”
Santa Camp isn’t a very diverse place. Besides some Mrs. Clauses, the classrooms consist largely of older white men. An HBO documentary in 2022 explored the paths of a Black Santa, a transgender Santa and a Santa with a developmental disability.
As the subjects navigated uncomfortable situations at Santa Camp and the industry, instructors like Greenleaf expressed a hope to change the industry’s demographics. But that’s a difficult task given that many clients have a very specific picture of how they want their Santa to look and act.
Here comes Santa Claus
As the Santas dispersed, ready to deploy their newly honed “ho ho ho’s” and belly laughs, they’ll all head back to spread cheer in their own communities.
Everyone working or volunteering as a Santa has a different backstory of how they got into the game, why they do it and what Santa means for them.
In Gillotte’s view, Santa “belongs to everybody.” He loves finding new ways to connect with and engage people, and watching as the kids he visits each Christmas grow up.
For the Guertins, it’s about making people smile. In the memory care units, especially, seeing Santa can bring back childhood memories for the older adults they serve.
And for Greenleaf, it’s all about the “astonished” faces of everyone who lays eyes on Santa.
“It’s so much fun,” Greenleaf said. “I like hamming it up and joking with the kids and adults and having a good time.”
